Meal #41: Russia

Our latest culinary expedition brought us to Russia. Not the country (some of us are still impoverished students after all), but the restaurant, Russia, located in the leafy surrounds of Caulfield North. The promise of a hearty eastern European feast lured Rami, Caroline, Paul, Nick and Sai out of their respective homes on a chilly Saturday night, but did the meal live up to expectations?

Russia European Restaurant
105 Hawthorn Road, Caulfield North

Atmosphere was, to us at least, not the strong suit of this restaurant. Decor consisted of a combination of clashing green and blue panels, whilst the musical ambience was supplied by a mix tape of Chris DeBurgh, Michael Buble and other "easy listening" singers. Eager to sample some Russian liquors, Paul was disappointed to discover that, whilst licensed, the restaurant was B.Y.O. only, and so the mocking presence of several bottles of vodka on another table was as close as he got to that goal.

Entree:
Salted herring (cold) served on a bed of lettuce, cucumbers and olives, with a side dish of roast potatoes.
Latkis with sour cream and vinegar.

Mains:
Meat Solianka in spicy tomato sauce.
Zharkoie (Stewed meat and potato served with salad)
Chicken Tabacca (Pan fried chicken with garlic sauce)
Chicken Schnitzel (Served with salad)

The Meal:

The meal itself certainly started well with a tasty entree of salted herring, served on a bed of lettuce, cucumbers and olives with a side dish of roast potatoes. Whilst somewhat pricey at ten dollars for a small-ish serve, the herring was quite delicious and the potatoes most pleasant. Even better was the serve of latkis, potato pancakes commonly served throughout Eastern Europe and a mainstay of Jewish cuisine. Served with sour cream and vinegar, the latkis were savoury and very morish.

Upon ordering the mains, we were all collectively let down by the discovery that, though advertised, the Chicken Kiev was not available that night. For shame, Russia. For shame. Nevertheless, with heavy heart and grumbling stomachs, we soldiered on. The dishes we sampled were along similar lines to those we enjoyed at Cafe Armenia and Taste of Georgia, though this time, the results were not as favourable. Rami and Caroline shared a chicken schnitzel, which they regarded as "nothing special" and felt was a bit too salty. Paul tried the Zharkoie, a meat and potato stew somewhat similar to Beef Burgundy. For eighteen dollars, this was rather uninspiring, with the Zharkoie itself served in a very small pot and outweighed by an average garden salad. The meat itself was tender, but quite fatty.

Nick fared better with the Meat Solianka, another type of stew. Containing a thick, spicy sauce, Nick found the dish quite enjoyable and also praised the side salad with a tasty paprika dressing. In terms of value for money, Sai struck gold with the Chicken Tabacca, a whole chicken, pan-fried in a garlic sauce. At 22 dollars, this dish actually seemed to be a decent size, which was ultimately too much for Sai to finish alone. However, quantity did not equate to quality in this instance. Sai commented that the Chicken was overly salty and too oily.

So unfortunately, this meal was a bit of a let-down, with most dishes too small for their price and generally lacklustre in taste. Cafe Armenia and Taste of Georgia both outpaced this venue in nearly every respect. Still, it must be said that those Latkis were really something, and made an evening of listening to a loop of 3MP-style music quite tolerable.